Houses four
by yellow 14
Summary: The next generation are off to Hogwarts. But the war has left its scars and Hogwarts is about to feel the effects once more.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own my OC's. Do I own Harry Potter? Not a chance.

AN: This one has been kicking around in my head for a long time, but thanks to RedCloakedMaiden, it has decided to come out. Thank you for your help.

Albus Severus Potter stared out of the window as Kings Cross faded from view. He pinched himself, still not entirely believing that he was FINALLY going to Hogwarts. Turning, he started to walk down the train in search of a compartment that was as far away from his brother as possible.

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Scorpius checked the compartment was empty and sat down with a sigh of relief. Although he hadn't received many nasty stares, he would prefer to avoid them for as long as possible. And if Scorpius was honest with himself, he wasn't to keen on talking. Especially not while he was reading.

Reaching down into his bag, Scorpius pulled out a book that would have surprised the Weasley's and the Potters and everyone who thought that Malfoy's were pureblood snobs. Flipping open the first page, he smiled as he read the first line.

Sometimes it's dangerous to be different.

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Rose Weasley stormed angrily out of the compartment. She had just about had enough of James's teasing for one day. What was wrong with wanting a pet basilisk?

Perhaps it was because she was so angry that she didn't see Albus until she walked right into him. With a snort of annoyance, she grabbed his arm and dragged him down the train.

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Mei Lin nervously fiddled with her hair as she continued to walk down the train. While it was exciting to finally be on the Hogwarts Express, going to the same school her mother had gone to, Mei honestly thought that the idea of attending a school full of magic users was worrying. What if no one liked her? Or she was bullied? Or-

"Enough." Mei said aloud. "I'll just take the next compartment with a space in it." She told herself firmly. Inside, she was shaking with fear.

Fortunately, the next compartment she came to had only one occupant, a first year like herself, buried in a book of some kind. Swallowing hard, Mei stepped into the compartment.

"H-h-hi, do you mind if I come in?" she asked timidly.

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Scorpius looked up at the girl standing at the entrance to the compartment. Clearly of Asian descent, she looked like she was positively scared of him.

"I don't bite, you know." Scorpius drawled. The girl smiled and stepped in.

"I'm Mei Lin." She said, holding out her hand.

Scorpius paused for a moment, before taking her hand and introducing himself.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy." He said, wondering if his surname would scare her away. It didn't.

"Nice to meet you Scorpius." She said with a small smile. "Umm…What are you reading?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow and lifted his book so she could see the title.

"Is it any good?" Mei pressed on, mentally cringing at the way she was talking.

Scorpius closed his book. "I've read it half a dozen times." He said with a shrug. As he opened his mouth to continue, a sudden burst of noise interrupted him and two more first years piled into the compartment.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we sit here?" The red haired girl shot out. Before anyone could say anything, she sat down. The boy brushed himself down and smiled.

"Sorry, my cousin isn't good at talking to people" He said sheepishly. "I'm Albus and this is Rose."

"Albus Potter and…" Scorpius paused and gave Rose an amused look. "Rose Weasley." He paused and pointed to Albus with a smirk. "You're going to be sorted into Gryffindor and save the world from some dark wizard or another." He then pointed to Rose. "You'll also be sorted into Gryffindor and will be the really brainy one of the group." He paused and pointed to himself, ignoring Rose and Albus's frowns. "I will be your petty school rival and enemy and will no doubt want to side with a dark lord who will want to try kill you."

Scorpius paused, an amused expression on his face. "You will, of course, thrash said dark lord and I will probably change sides at the last minute. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, can we put off being sworn enemies until we get to Hogwarts?"

There was a moment of complete silence in the compartment. Then everyone burst out laughing.

"I've got a better idea." Albus said with a grin. "How about we try being friends? And when you start banging on about blood-traitors and muggle-borns, we all fall out in angry silence?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"There's nothing to say you HAVE to have the same friends and enemies as your parents, you know." Rose added. Scorpius smirked.

"Yeah, friends I could do." He paused and offered her his hand, this time with a genuine smile. "Friends?"

"Friends." Rose said with a smile as she shook his hand. "What are you reading anyway?"

Scorpius picked up his book and showed them the title.

"Ultimate X-men, volume 1!" she exclaimed in surprise. "But that's-"

"A muggle comic series. Yes I know." Scorpius sighed dramatically. "I guess that I'll have to give up the whole 'I'm superior, because I'm pure-blood' attitude."

"That's good, because my dad's a muggle." Mei said, causing everyone to jump.

"Really? Are you muggle-born, like my mum?" Rose asked interestedly. "What's it like coming from a family of muggles? Have you read up about the wizarding world?" Mei stared at her with a slightly scared expression.

"Rose, I think you've overwhelmed her." Albus said with a grin. At this, Mei seemed to find her voice.

"I'm half-blood. Witch mother, muggle father." She told them quietly, looking at the floor.

"Really? What's it like? Does your mum ever hex your dad when they argue? What do-" Rose suddenly shut up as Albus put his hand over her mouth. He turned and faced the others.

"You'll have to forgive my cousin. She has a brain that operates at a million miles an hour and a mouth that moves even faster." Rose glared at Albus and pulled out her wand.

"I think he has a point." Scorpius commented with a smirk. Rose turned her glare to him and Albus laughed.

"I do NOT talk to much!" Rose snapped as Albus removed his hand. But the expression on her face simply made everyone laugh. As the train continued to snake its way through the countryside, the four of them continued to bounce banter off one another. And as the Hogwarts express pulled into the station, Mei turned and faced them with a smile.

"Let's promise to stay friends. No matter which house we end up in, we'll try to stay friends."

"Well, Al might be an annoying prat, but I think I can do that." Rose said with a smile.

"You know, as a Malfoy, I'm supposed to be your enemy." Scorpius said with a smirk. "But I don't fancy being a clone. Yeah, I'll give it a go."

"Well I guess I'd better know your weaknesses, if you're going to go all evil and everything." Albus added. "And I'm a rulebreaker too, so yeah, sounds good."

And as the four of them stepped off the train, Mei smiled. Now she had managed to make a couple of friends, Hogwarts didn't seem so scary.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own, so please don't sue.

"Will all first years come this way please?" a squeaky voice asked as they disembarked from the train. "First years, this way please."

"Who said that?" Albus asked nervously looking around. The voice was loud and clear, but the owner of the voice was not visible at all. He wasn't the only one looking puzzled, indeed most of the students getting off the train were looking around in an attempt to find the owner of the mystery voice.

"Damn, I should've thought of this problem sooner!" the voice exclaimed, still as squeaky as ever. There was a sudden crack and suddenly a house-elf appeared, standing on the rail above them. Scorpius stared in interest, much to Rose's obvious amusement, but Albus didn't blame him for staring. He probably would have done too, had he not been used to this particular elf.

Scorpius stared at the (obviously mad) house-elf above them. He was wearing a green and white Father Christmas hat and the most garish orange, red and pink jumper and his green eyes seemed to bulge slightly.

"First years, this way!" The elf called out once more, suddenly breaking the stunned silence that his appearance had caused. Scorpius could swear half the conversation was about that elf.

"-what's that jumper he's got on. I-"

"-is he a teacher or-"

"-such big ears-"

"-what IS that thing? Is he a-"

"-disgrace, having a creature like that, bossing purebloods around. Don't you agree Malfoy?"

Scorpius turned to face the person who had spoken and raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"I said it's a disgrace, having a creature like that, bossing pure bloods around. Don't you agree Malfoy?" said a tall boy with slate grey eyes and short black hair. "Standards are clearly slipping at Hogwarts."

Rose, who had been standing less than a metre away from Scorpius, glared at the boy. "What makes you such an expert on standards?" she snapped. The boy merely smirked nastily.

"I am Jonathon Flint, from a long line of pure-bloods." The boy countered with a sneer as he looked down at Rose. "Unlike you Weasley's, _some_ of us aren't stinking blood traitors."

Rose's hand plunged into her robes for her wand and Scorpius's hand was already on his wand, when Jonathon's skin suddenly erupted with boils.

"Don't you DARE insult my friends." Mei hissed as she walked over, her wand out and her face in an almost unrecognisable scowl.

"No fighting on the platform!" The elf reprimanded, clicking his fingers. Clicking his fingers once more, the boils on Jonathon's face disappeared. "Now onto the boats!"

Taking special care to avoid ending up on the same boats, Jonathon and Rose got on, still shooting glares at one another. Scorpius, however, was not so lucky and ended up having to take the same boat as Jonathon.

"Did you SEE what that girl did to me!" Jonathon hissed indignantly. "How DARE she attack ME! Probably just some stupid mudblood who doesn't know better! Well, we'll show her!"

"Because being an evil wizard is always a good thing." Scorpius replied sardonically. Jonathon didn't notice his tone and ploughed on.

"Us Slytherin's should stick together! We'll show those blood traitors and mudbloods!"

Scorpius simply rolled his eyes and tried to ignore Jonathon's tirade. "Dear Merlin," he prayed mentally, 'don't let me end up in the same house as this guy.'

Meanwhile, in a different boat, Mei nervously fiddled with her hair. She honestly had no idea what on Earth she'd been thinking when she cast that spell. Normally, Mei would have simply been too shy to stand up to the Flint boy, but the way he'd talked about her friends…she simply snapped and before she knew what she was doing, she cast the first spell that came to mind. Admittedly, it was the ONLY spell that she knew, but still.

"That was a nice spell you cast there." A broad-shouldered, tall girl with long blond hair said, admiringly.

"Thanks." Mei replied, blushing slightly. "I'm Mei Lin."

"I'm Rachel Goyle." The other girl said in a friendly voice. "Hey look!"

Rachel pointed at the castle and Mei let out a gasp. True, she had heard about what Hogwarts looked like from her mother, but nothing prepared her for seeing it in person.

Albus, on yet another one of the boats, was deep in thought as he watched them approach the castle. His dad said he found the castle to be a home to him. Albus wasn't so sure that it would feel the same way to him. And once he got to the castle, he had to figure out something to get that idiot Flint. Nobody insulted his family like that!

"What's your name?" A gangly blond boy with pale skin asked the elf, a look of curiosity on his face.

"I is Dobby the second young sir." The elf said proudly, his voice becoming squeakier as he continued. "I is a proud, paid house elf young sir and am a member of the Hogwarts staff."

"Really?" Albus asked, feeling a little puzzled. Albus and Rose had met Dobby the second when he had delivered something from the ministry to their house. "I thought you worked for the ministry?"

"Ah, young Master Albus is correct, I have worked for the ministry. However, Professor Knight asked for me to take over the position of teacher, and so, here I am, for Professor Knight is an old friend." The house-elf said proudly.

"Good for you Dobby!" Albus said with a smile.

"Dobby the second young sir!" Dobby the Second protested firmly. "I could never be as great as the original Dobby sir!"

"Sorry." Albus said apologetically. "Didn't mean to offend."

"Dobby the Second is not offended sir! Dobby the Second seeks to live up to his honourable name sir! As you will as well, young sir!"

"Are you famous, or something?" the gangly blond boy asked Albus curiously. Then there was a sudden gasp as he realised who he was talking to. "Hey, you're Harry Potter's son, aren't you!" The boy jumped forward and grabbed Albus's hand so forcefully that Albus slid backwards and landed in the lake with a massive splash. There was a sudden click and Albus suddenly found himself back on the boat.

"Master Albus should avoid ending up in the water." Dobby the Second told him firmly. "Master Albus's family would never forgive Dobby the Second if he let Master Albus drown."

"I CAN swim, you know!" Albus protested, mildly annoyed as Dobby the Second proceeded to dry his clothes.

"Dobby the Second will not take chances!" Dobby the Second protested. "I has been given a responsibility over you and I will not slack in my task!"

"Thanks." Albus muttered mutinously, but he had no opportunity to say anything else as the boats landed and they slowly disembarked.

"Really, really, sorry about that." The boy said in an embarrassed tone. "I'm just a little clumsy." Albus smirked. "Ok, I'm a LOT clumsy! Happy?"

"For now. Now you know my name, what's yours?"

"I'm Adrian. Adrian Montague. Please don't hold that against me." The boy said quickly. Albus raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I'm already friends with Malfoy. At this rate, I'll have the entire Slytherin Quidditch team in my pocket." Albus replied with a smirk, before adding. "Except Flint of course. He's just a git."

"You've met Flint then?" Adrian asked with a scowl. Albus nodded.

"Yeah. And I want to HURT him. Badly. He insulted my cousin Rose and my family. NOBODY does that and gets away with it."

"You know, if you want to hurt Flint, can I come along? I pretty much hate him too."

"Really?" Albus asked curiously. Adrian nodded.

"Yeah." Adrian replied with a scowl. "His parents and mine have been trying to get us to be friends for years. But I hate his guts and visa-versa."

"In that case, you can help me plan my revenge." Albus said with a smirk. "Flint is going down."

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Scorpius Malfoy looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall in wonder. A part of him half expected someone to tell him that he didn't belong, that Hogwarts was no place for children who had descended from Death Eaters. He knew he was being ridiculous, but it didn't exactly stop him from thinking these thoughts.

"We'll show these stupid blood traitors and mudbloods their inferiority." Jonathon Flint hissed to Scorpius, who rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to hex him.

Rose wasn't that far away from them and he saw her stiffen slightly. Resisting an even stronger urge to curse the boy beside him, he slipped back and pulled himself up beside Rose.

"You know, I thought I was supposed to be the petty, pureblood fanatic, but he's WORSE!" he whispered to her and she grinned, but before she could say anything, a tall man with short black hair and clad head to toe in black robes cleared his throat and spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor Knight and to our first years I bid you welcome to Hogwarts. In a moment, I will call out each of your names in turn and you will step forward to be sorted."

Nobody spoke. Professor Knight gave off an air of control that no one wanted to cross. With a swift tap of his fingers, he pulled out a ragged old hat, which promptly began to sing.

"A thousand years ago,

When I was fresh and new,

Four great witches and wizards,

Set to pool their resources,

And create a mighty school,

A place for learning magic,

A place for you people to learn,

A place to find new talents,

And master them the same,

Hufflepuffs for fairness,

Loyalty and hard work,

Gryffindors for courage,

Chivalry and sheer nerve,

Ravenclaws are intelligent,

They value wit and knowledge,

Slytherins value cunning,

Devious to the core,

But that does not make the evil,

That is an individual flaw,

As the sorting hat came to the end of its song, Professor Knight picked the hat up and called out the first name.

"Abbot, Sylvia!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Ames, Grant!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Andy, James!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Boot, Bethany!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Beasel, Matthew!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Is it me, or is there a distinct lack of people going into Slytherin?" Albus asked Mei, who shrugged.

"Maybe it's because of Slytherin's reputation?" She suggested with a shrug. "Oh look, there's that boy who gave your cousin so much trouble on the platform."

Albus turned his head and sure enough, Jonathon Flint was sitting on the stool and the sorting hat was going down onto his head. It had barely touched before calling out "Slytherin!"

"Well there goes one person who DEFINITELY fits Slytherin's reputation." Scorpius whispered to Rose, who simply giggled. The sortings continued until suddenly another name came up that caught not only her attention, but also the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.

"Goyle, Rachel!"

At the mention of the girl's name, a number of murmurs swept through the room. Tales of Mr Goyle's involvement with Voldemort was well known throughout the wizarding world and everyone wanted to see if his daughter would go the same way. After a few moments silence, the hat finally spoke.

"Hufflepuff!"

The response to this was even louder as several people let out gasps of disbelief. The Goyle family had been in Slytherin for centuries.

"Go rebel!" Scorpius yelled out, drawing a number of powerful glares from the teacher's table. Under so much scrutiny, he quickly shrank away and the sorting continued until another name that they knew came up to the hat.

"Lin, Mei!"

Mei nervously walked up to the sorting hat, fiddling with her hair like it was some kind of charm. She felt the sorting hat descended upon her head and suddenly she couldn't see a thing.

"You're an interesting one aren't you?" the hat said in her ear. Mei shook her head slightly.

"What do you mean interesting? I'm sure I belong here and-"

"Oh that's not what I mean!" The hat cut in. "No, no, not at all."

"Then what do you mean?" Mei asked curiously.

"I remember your mother when she sat here. She was scared too."

"Really?"

The hat chuckled at Mei's response. "Yes, I think she was wanting to fly away from me."

"I don't like flying. Or rather, I don't like quidditch." Mei pointed out. "I prefer to play games on the ground." An image of Mei playing football against her dad suddenly popped into her mind, for some reason that she could not place.

"A regular team player?" The hat suddenly paused as it suddenly accessed her memories of what she had done on the platform. "I see you think that your friends are important. Better be HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled out the last word and Mei nervously staggered over to the Hufflepuff table. The next name to be called out was Scorpius Malfoy's and as the hat slipped on to his head, Mei gave her friend an encouraging smile.

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The first thing Scorpius thought when the sorting hat fell down over his eyes was "Why does it have to be too big? Surely a hat as magical as this could change its size to fit the wearer?"

"I probably could, Mr Malfoy, but I think that it's a lot easier for you if you don't have to look at everyone staring at you."

"I suppose." Scorpius conceded. "Although you could just be a way to keep the status quo."

"Pardon?"

"Well, here's the thing I've been thinking about since I arrived. Practically every Malfoy that passes through Hogwarts is sorted into Slytherin. Every Potter and Weasley is sorted into Gryffindor. You could easily be simply a way of keeping people in their place, no matter how hard they may want to be otherwise."

"That's an…interesting theory young man. Not true, but…"

"Actually, as I'm here, is it possible for a magical artefact to go senile?" I don't suppose I really thought about it before now." 

"What!"

"Of course, after a thousand years, I imagine that it would be easy to get confused."

"That is cheeky, young man." The hat reprimanded. Scorpius smirked mentally.

"Everyone expects me to be this evil wizard. I think I have a right to be a little hacked off when you put me in Slytherin." He countered.

"Actually, I think Slytherin is not for you."

"Really…?" Scorpius asked, this time in genuine surprise.

"No. I think you belong in RAVENCLAW!"

Feeling slightly dizzy with relief, Scorpius stood up and staggered to the Ravenclaw table. After a moment of stunned silence, the sorting continued until finally it reached another famous name.

"Potter, Albus!"

As Albus sat down on the stool, James mouthed the word 'Slytherin' at him. Albus simply gave him a one-fingered salute.

"Another Potter eh?" the hat asked as it sat on Albus's head. Albus glared and the hat chuckled. "I see you dislike being part of the crowd, merely one of many."

"I want to be known because of who I am, not what my father did!" Albus paused for a moment. "Not that I don't love my dad and that, but…"

"You wish to make your mark on the world, one that makes people see you and not your father. You're very different from your brother." The hat finished.

"Really?"

"Yes. Which is why I think that you will do well in SLYTHERIN!"

There was a sudden stunned silence throughout the Great Hall, a silence only broken by Rose's sudden screech of surprise followed by the sound of her body hitting the floor as she fainted. Professor Patil, head of Ravenclaw house and dressed head to toe in black briskly walked over to her and pointed her wand at Rose. After a moment, Rose's eyes opened.

"You should know that he's still the same boy that you've always known." Professor Patil said briskly. As Rose opened her mouth to argue, Professor Patil continued.

"My sister was sorted into a different house from me, but she was still the same person underneath. You should treat your cousin the same way."

Rose nodded silently and Professor Patil walked back to the teacher's table. Gradually, the queue became shorter and shorter as more and more first years were sorted. Eventually, Rose's name was called and she stomped up to the stool and sat down in a positively sulky way.

"Right, listen up you stu-"

"My, my you are a bold one." The hat cut in, interrupting her rant mid-flow. "Most eleven year olds are pretty scared when they come up here."

"You're just a hat!" Rose snapped. "It's not like you're trying to EAT us or something!"

"And even THAT doesn't put you off, does it?" The hat enquired with an amused tone. "Not even that incident on the dragon reserve when you visited your Uncle Charlie."

"Well I'm sure I was getting there!" Rose protested. "She got startled by the rest of the family arriving."

"Normally I only meet one or two students a year who aren't typical. This year is very different." The hat mused on. "As for you, I think that you will do well in GRYFFINDOR!"

A large burst of cheering erupted from the Gryffindor table as FINALLY, there was a sorting that didn't seem hopelessly wrong. And as Rose sat down, she could have sworn that there was a twinkle in the eye of Professor Knight.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own and never will.

Albus sat down and nibbled the end of his quill as he tried to think of what to write. He dipped his quill into the inkpot and started to write.

_Dear Mum and Dad, Granny and Granddad, and everyone else._

_I'm in Slytherin, just like Professor Snape!_

Albus paused for a moment and frowned. That didn't sound right, it sounded so…cavalier. Although his dad had said that it was okay if he ended up in Slytherin, he was pretty sure that his dad hadn't actually expected him to end up there. And then there was the rest of the family.

Mum and Uncle Ron talked about Slytherin as a 'bad' house to belong to. Admittedly, they didn't do it directly, but as they referred to people as 'Slytherin gits' and similar insults. Hardly inspiring statements for the first Potter or Weasley to not to be in Gryffindor in centuries and CERTAINLY the only Potter/Weasley to ever be sorted into Slytherin. No, Albus simply shook his head and started again.

_Dear Mum and Dad, Granny and Granddad, and everyone else._

_I had a pretty good ride to the school. You didn't tell me that Dobby II is here! It was a really odd sight seeing him up there. I think pretty much everyone was shocked by him. _

No that wasn't right either. He was dodging the issue. After a few minutes thought, he dipped his quill in the inkpot once more and started to write. This was how he was going to do it.

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Scorpius slowly opened his case and started to unpack, trying to ignore the curious stares coming at him from his roommates. He wasn't in any rush to explain himself. So what if he was the first Malfoy not to go into Slytherin in living memory? It wasn't like he was an average Malfoy.

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Rose stared at the Gryffindor common room in fascination. It was exactly the way her parents had described it to her, with a warm fireplace and red and gold hangings all over the room.

"Would this be the right time to say I told you so?" James asked with a smirk. "Man, I can't BELIEVE that I was actually right about Al for once!"

Rose smacked him gently on the arm.

"You PRAT!" she exclaimed angrily. "That's probably why the Sorting hat made that mistake and put him in there!"

"But-"

"I'm going to see the Headmaster and get it fixed right away!" Rose continued, ignoring her brother James. "After all, I REFUSE to believe that a member of the Potter/Weasley clan belongs in SLYTHERIN of all places!"

"But-"

"And if that doesn't work, I'll write to Uncle Harry! He'll know what to do!" Rose finished, before storming out of the Gryffindor common room.

"Never takes no for an answer, does she?" Fred mused to James and James shook his head.

"No, I don't think she does. What are the odds of her getting Albus's sorting reversed?"

"This is Rose, what do you think?" Fred asked.

"Our dear Headmaster against our Rosie? I say that should be interesting to watch." James replied with a smirk. "Care to follow, my dear Fred?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, my dear James." Fred replied with a smirk.

As quickly and silently as a pair of mice, the two boys followed Rose out of the portrait hole.

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Mei stared in awe at the Hufflepuff common room, with its comfortable, burrow like structure and yellow walls; it felt like a warm and welcoming place. With a gentle smile, she sat down and closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to savour the feeling of warmth and companionship that the room seemed to emit.

"Will all first years gather round me please?" A tall young man asked. Mei found herself staring in surprise. The mans long blond hair with dyed purple stripes seemed to be out of place with Hufflepuff's image as a house of duffers as her grandmother had once referred to them. Mei's own mother had frowned at that and countered by pointing out that one of the greatest men that she had ever known came from Hufflepuff.

"I wonder who he is?" Rachel Goyle asked in a whisper and Mei shrugged.

"I am Amos Cornfoot and I am your Head boy this year. If you have any problems, feel free to talk to me or the Head Girl Victoire Weasley of Gryffindor and we will do our best to help you." The boy continued. He looked around at the sea of nervous first year faces.

"People may say that we are duffers, that we inferior. We aren't the house of the brave, or the cunning, or the academics and so people like to look down on us." Amos paused for a moment and looked at them once more. "Understand this. We are not a house to be ashamed of. We are strong, not through our raw courage or cunning or by being the brightest witches and wizards in the school. We are strong through our loyalty to our friends, to one another and by the fact that we _never_ give up."

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Albus looked at the letter he had just finished writing and stood up. Folding it as he walked, Albus didn't really pay much attention to where he was going. Until he slammed into the very solid body of an older student.

"Oh so-"

"You don't need to be sorry for being in Slytherin Potter." The older boy drawled, his dark eyes dancing with amusement. "After all, you're in the most impressive house at Hogwarts." He ran his hands through his short and stubby brown hair at Albus's expression and his pale face became more animated.

"Think about it." The older boy continued, elaborating on what he had said. "Slytherin is the house not of ivory tower academics, or the house of the brave and unsubtle. We are not the ones who find their strength in numbers and sheer bl##%-mindedness. No, we are the house of the devious and cunning." He paused and gave Albus a wicked looking grin. "And that means when we fight back, we know precisely when and HOW to do it!"

As the older boy turned away, Albus looked at his letter once more and smiled. Picking up the letter, he slowly started to tear it up, slowly at first, but he soon picked up speed and soon the letter was little more than a pile of scraps. Be ashamed of being SLYTHERIN? Not a chance! Turning on his heel, Albus zipped upstairs and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. Dipping his quill into the inkpot, he started to write once more.

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"And where are you going Miss Weasley in such a temper?" an amused young woman asked from behind Rose. Rose spun around.

"Professor! I NEED to see the Headmaster right away!" Rose exclaimed as she faced Professor Patil. Professor Patil merely smiled slightly and looked at Rose calmly.

"Is this to do with your cousin being sorted into Slytherin?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course it's about Al going into Slytherin!" Rose protested. "There has to be something wrong! Maybe the Sorting Hat was confused by a Confundus Charm, or-"

"The Sorting Hat wasn't Confounded Rose." Professor Patil cut in with a slight smile. "It placed him where he is best suited to fit in."

"But it's SLYTHERIN!"

"And Slytherin is not a house of evil." Professor Patil pointed out. "Plenty of Slytherin's fought beside us in the battle of Hogwarts."

"You were in the Battle of Hogwarts?" Rose asked in surprise, her focus lost for a moment and Professor Patil pulled out her enchanted galleon.

"A fully fledged member of the DA from the start." She replied with a small smile. "My sister and I joined right at the start."

"But Professor, Potter's and Weasley's have ALWAYS been in Gryffindor!" Rose protested and Professor Patil looked her firmly in the eyes.

"And Patil's have always been in Ravenclaw." She countered. "But my sister was in Gryffindor. And on my first night at Hogwarts, I stormed up to the headmasters office with the same thoughts that you just mentioned."

"Really?" Rose asked in shock as she noted the blue lining on her black robes. Surely only a Gryffindor would have been brave enough to do something like that!

"Gryffindors are not the only house to show courage." Professor Patil told Rose, answering her unasked question. "And I was incredibly close to my sister back then."

"But being put into different houses drove you apart! I don't want that to happen to me and Al!" Rose protested. Professor Patil's face darkened and there were tears in her eyes.

"The reason that I am not close to my sister now is not because of our different houses. She died in the closing stages of the Battle of Hogwarts." She told Rose grimly. "My sister was a Gryffindor through and through. Now if you'll excuse me Rose, I have classes to prepare!" And with that statement, Professor Patil stormed off, leaving a very thoughtful Rose behind her.

"Do you two know where the Slytherin common room is?" she asked and James and Fred stared in disbelief. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Did you REALLY think that I didn't know?" she asked plaintively. "Now are you going to help me or not?"

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"What?" Scorpius asked in annoyance as he finally turned and faced the people staring at him. Finally, one of them spoke, a lanky dark skinned boy with dreadlocks and a round face.

"I was wondering what you were doing in this house?" the boy stated firmly. He didn't take his eyes off of Scorpius, who simply rolled his eyes.

"Because I'm an evil genius in training of course. Would you like me to add the clichéd maniacal laugh? Because I think mine needs work." Scorpius replied sarcastically. A few people sniggered, but the boy continued to stare.

"You don't belong here Malfoy, you shouldn't even be in this school after what your Death Eater relatives did!" he hissed. Scorpius stiffened at the mention of his family.

"I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart." He drawled. "Looks like I'm not the only person here who was mis-sorted." The other boy pulled his wand out.

"Don't you dare tr-"

"Or what? You'll hurt me? Isn't that what us Dark Lords in training are supposed to do, attack without warning?" Scorpius sneered back. "You're pathetic!"

"No more pathetic than a little blood tra-"

The lanky boy didn't have a chance to say anything else, because it was then that Scorpius Malfoy thoroughly lost his temper and sent angry sparks at the boy, setting his robes on fire. The crowd slowly backed off, before dispersing entirely. Scorpius made a mental sigh. He just HAD to have SOMETHING go horribly wrong on his first day. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had INTENDED to have that effect, but he hadn't even cast a spell. Pulling out a piece of parchment and a pen, he started to write his first letter home.

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Albus rubbed his back as he looked up at Rose. For the second time today, he had been knocked over by her.

"Rose" he started slowly, "would it be possible for you NOT to run me over? Especially outside the Slytherin common room."

Rose pulled him to his feet. "Well it's hardly my fault that you walk right into my way!" she bristled angrily.

"How the hell was I expecting you to be outside the Slytherin common room!" Albus protested, before suddenly noticing his older brother and his cousin Fred silently laughing away.

"Stop laughing!" Rose yelled at them angrily. This caused them to completely lose control and burst out into peels of laughter, tears running down their cheeks. Rose huffed and Albus had to suppress a grin.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Albus asked, trying to avoid grinning like a madman. This wasn't helped by the expression on Rose's face though, a mixture of sulking and what looked like constipation. (At least to Albus. Fortunately, her expression softened.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about the fuss I made at the sorting and that I'm glad you're in the house that suits you." Rose said and Albus looked at her slightly stunned. Rose pressed on.

"And if these idiots-" Rose gestured to James and Fred, "give you any trouble about it, I'm on your side."

Fred and James made mock hurt expressions on their faces.

"My dear Rosie-poo-"

"-whatever makes you think-"

"-that we would POSSIBLY-"

"-consider teasing-"

"-or winding up-"

"-our little snake?" James finished and Rose glared at them both.

"I'm sure they won't be a problem Rosiekins." Albus said and Rose turned her full glare on him. "Now if you excuse me, I have a letter to post and I want to send it before the first night curfew kicks in."

"I'll have to send mine tomorrow." Rose said ruefully. "See ya Alby."

Albus glared at her retreating back, before turning towards the owlery.

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Scorpius Malfoy stroked his owl Logan before sending him out. As he watched the owl disappear into the distance. Although he liked to pretend that he wasn't worried about his family's reaction, he was in fact terrified. As he turned to leave, he came face to face with Albus.

"Hi Albus." Scorpius murmured. "How does it feel like to be an out and out rebel of the Potter/Weasley family?"

"Probably the same as it does to be a rebel in the Malfoy one." Albus countered and Scorpius gave a bitter laugh.

"I doubt that your grandfather will try to overturn your sorting." Scorpius paused and winced. "Or send you a howler."

"I think we'll have to wait and see." Albus replied, before whistling a single, high-pitched note. A beautiful barn owl glided down and landed on a perch right next to them.

"This is Snape." Albus said as he attached his letter to the owl's leg. He gave the owl an affectionate stroke and sent him on his way. "He's been my owl for as long as I can remember."

"How are things in Slytherin? Are they training you to be an evil little pureblood fanatic yet, or is that meant to come later?" Scorpius asked.

Albus paused for a minute while he considered his answer. "It's…interesting." He finally said. "I think the compulsory lessons on being evil come later. What about you?"

"Gathering my evil genius's together of course." Scorpius replied with a smirk. "I'm a Malfoy, we don't NEED lessons in being evil."

"No, just lessons in how to make it work." Albus added and the two boys laughed. He yawned and turned around.

"I'm going to bed. See you at breakfast."

"Seeya there." Scorpius replied and the two boys left the owlery.

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Harry Potter was sitting down to dinner, with his wife and daughter, when Snape the owl suddenly landed on the table, dropping his letter right into the middle of Harry's food. Harry glared at the owl, which favoured Harry with a contemptuous look.

"Oh look, it's a letter from Albus!" Lily squealed excitedly as she grabbed it from Harry's bacon.

"Yes, I'd noticed." Harry commented dryly. He glared at the bird once more. "Why don't you give it to your mother and she can read it out to us?"

Lily handed over the letter and Ginny slit it open. Sitting down at the table, she began to read it out.

_Dear Mum and Dad, Granny and Granddad ,Lily and all of the others._

_Is everyone sitting down? Is Uncle Ron safely restrained?_

"You know, I REALLY don't like the sound of this." Ginny murmured.

"Mum, keep reading!" Lily said and Ginny continued where she had left off.

_Well there's no easy way to say it. Not only am I not in Gryffindor, but I am in fact in Slytherin!_

Ginny stopped in surprise and Lily shrieked.

"I thought that Albus wasn't supposed to go into Slytherin!" she shrieked. "Does that mean he's going bad?

"Just because he's in Slytherin, does not mean that he's going bad Lily." Harry cut in.

"Breaking tradition. He's braver than I was." Ginny added, before continuing to read.

I know that you don't think to highly of Slytherin's as a rule, but I'm proud to be a Slytherin and Rose is ok with it as well.

"I wonder how he managed to persuade her?" Harry mused.

_The Great hall and the feast were magnificent, exactly the way you described it. I ate pretty well and my fellow Slytherin's are mostly ok. Well, with the exception of a right prat called __Jonathon Flint. He insulted Rose right on the platform and I'm sure she would have hexed him if our new friend Mei Lin hadn't gotten in there first._

_On the train there, we made some new friends. There was Mei Lin, an Asian girl who seems pretty quiet and you may want to sit down for this one. Scorpius Malfoy is our friend. I know what Uncle Ron said about him, but he's got a truly wicked sense of humour. _

Ginny's hand shook slightly as she read the line about Scorpius.

"I thought we taught him better than that!" she screeched slightly.

"We taught him to look at people as individuals and not by who they were." Harry said calmly.

"But…a Malfoy! How a Malfoy could be anything other than a pureblood snob? They're part of the Old Guard of purebloods, who've ALWAYS believed in their superiority!"

"By the sounds of it, I'd guess that young Scorpius is different." Harry pointed out. "Or do you think that he managed to fool Rose as well as Albus?"

Ginny's face looked as though she had swallowed a lemon. A Potter and Weasley, friends with a Malfoy? It was practically unheard of! Harry, on the other hand, merely smiled. She continued to read.

Give everyone my love. I'm still the same Albus you've always known and now I'm breaking the mould and then some!

_Yours truly,_

_ASP_

"Well THAT was unexpected." Harry commented with a low whistle.

"Yeah. But I don't think Ron is going to be best pleased." Ginny said with a slight smile.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I've had a pleasant train journey and I enjoyed the feast. _

_I have some good news. I'm not going to become a pureblood snob or completely evil wizard after all. I've been sorted into Ravenclaw!_

_I know that you've always favoured Slytherin over the other houses, but at least as a Ravenclaw, I'll be able to collect my enclave of evil geniuses._

_You might want to sit down for the next part. I've made a few friends. There's Mei Lin, a half-blood witch with one hell of a temper. Then there's Albus Potter, who's been sorted into Slytherin no less! (Is it possible that the sorting hat has gone senile?) And then there's Rose Weasley. Yes I know what you've said about them, but she's the most fascinating person I've ever met. She's got a pretty fast mouth, but she seems pretty smart._

_Yours with love,_

_Scorpius _

Draco stared in disbelief at the letter his son had written to him.

"That…that Weasley girl must have caused the sorting to go wrong!" he protested, but Astoria waved her hand.

"I suspect it's simply a case of Scorpius going into the house that is best suited to him dear." She said with a smile. "Could you really see Scorpius fitting into Slytherin with those weird-sounding muggle comics of his?"

"But-"

"Besides, it is a very different world to the one we grew up in." Astoria continued. "Perhaps it's time to let the traditional grudges of our generation fall as well?"

Draco gave his wife a rueful smile.

"Perhaps." He conceded. "At least it's not like he's marrying her or something."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now.

AN: I do apologise that this story has been left so long. I'm afraid the plot bunny got away. On related news, there's a poll on my profile as to which story I should update next. Please feel free to visit it.

When Rose got up on her very first morning at Hogwarts, it was still dark and the sun was only just beginning to peek over the horizon. She sat back for a moment and allowed herself to drink in the scene before her. A line of red and gold beds lay around her, occupied by a line of bodies and although it was too dark to see, she could feel the giant Gryffindor Lion tapestry decorating the ceiling looking down on her. With a chuckle of amusement, she stood up and slipped out of the dormitory.

"Urgh, wazzgoingon?" a grouchy voice asked from one of the beds and a nonedescript figure sat up. Rose smiled and quickly dashed over to the girl.

"It's our first day at Hogwarts! We actually begin our classes today! Isn't it exciting?" Rose exclaimed and the other girl looked at her with something akin to distain.

"What sounds exciting right now is me going back to sleep," she said tiredly and Rose stared in shock. Who wouldn't be excited? But before she could vocalise her question, the other girl had fallen back to sleep. With a smile, Rose gently tip-toed away.

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When the morning came, Albus was nothing short of terrified. It was one thing to decide not to be sorry he was in Slytherin. It was another thing entirely to actually face the results of his flippant words the day after he wrote them. He stared up at the ceiling of his bed for a few minutes as he tried to rouse up enough courage to actually get up. Maybe it would have been easier to just ask to go into Gryffindor after all. At least he wouldn't have to worry about any howlers he would receive at the breakfast table.

"Oi Potter, you coming to breakfast or are you just going to skulk away like a coward?" an unpleasant voice called over and Albus was reminded that he still had to take revenge on Jonathon Flint. He sat up and climbed out of bed, briefly ran a brush over his head and stood up to go to breakfast. In his bunny slippers. Albus liked to give the impression that he wasn't really a morning person.

"Hey Potter, you might want to change your slippers," a mocking voice said to him, a boy he didn't recognise. He smiled and walked into the bathroom to get ready. He knew precisely what he was doing. If people thought otherwise, well that worked in his favour in his opinion.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

When the sun came out over the horizon, Scorpius was sitting up in his bed reading. In this case, it was another X-Men comic book, another old favourite. Despite his flippant attitude in writing his letter, he was more than a little nervous about the reply he was going to get. If his reception last night had been any sort of indication, he couldn't rely on his housemates to support him and Merlin knows he certainly couldn't count on his grandparents. It was indeed worrying.

However, Scorpius Malfoy was not the type of boy to worry about events that were beyond his control. Instead he decided to forget his problems by diving into another world. A world where having powers could make you a hero or villain and not just another ordinary person.

A sudden cooing sound from the end of his bed made Scorpius look up to see a white feathery owl looking at him. With a swallow of intrepidation, he reached forward and removed the letter from it's legs. His stomach did a nervous flopping movement as Scorpius ran his fingers over the seal. There was no mistaking the Malfoy crest stamped onto it. Although Scorpius was happy not to be in Slytherin, not to be the same old Malfoy stock, he was still only an eleven year old boy. Still, the fact that he hadn't received a howler was encouraging. Swallowing hard, he slid the letter open and proceeded to read the contents.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_If your owl arrives as planned, you should be able to read this in your dormitory away from any curious eyes. If not, well I am sure that you will be able to deal with any unwanted attention. _

_When I read your letter, I must admit that I was surprised. Malfoy's have been associated with the house of Slytherin for centuries and I will admit that I had expected you to follow my footsteps in that regard. Certainly I would have been horrified to have been sorted anywhere other than Slytherin at your age. But then again, when I was your age, I was not as clever or as grown up as I thought I was._

_Congratulations Scorpius. Congratulations on entering a different house and on entering the house that is best suited to you. I can imagine that your muggle books would have not fitted in with the house of the Snake. (Although their appeal still escapes me!) Ravenclaw is a good house and Merlin knows, it's certainly better than being a Gryffindor. _

_On the subject of Sortings and the Sorting Hat, I don't believe it is possible for the Sorting Hat to go senile. You should have more respect for such a powerful and ancient magical artifact Scorpius!_

_On a slightly different subject, your new friends are a reason for concern. Weasley's and Malfoy's have been enemies for generations and I do not think it is going to go away in the foreseeable future. I won't tell you that you can't be friends with her, but I would advise caution. Potter also gives me reason for concern. His father had a distinct tendency to seek out trouble and visa-versa. Although the boy was sorted into Slytherin, I do worry that his parents tendency to attract trouble and even seek it out has passed onto him. I do hope that he won't lead you into danger as his father did with his friends on more than one occasion. It was a miracle that none of them were killed. If he tries to lead you into a dangerous situation like protecting something from a dark wizard or something of that nature, please back away. Get a teacher or a responsible adult involved. I know he is your friend, but life is not like those muggle stories you read. Not everyone come out unscathed from such adventures and I would hate to see you hurt because of it._

_Your mother seems to be of a different mindset to me about your friends. She seems to think that it is time to forget grudges of the past and she may be right._

_Yours with love,_

_Father_

Scorpius licked his lips as he read and re-read the letter in his hands. A mixture of feelings coursed through him. Relief that his worst fears were unfounded. (Although he really should have known better anyway, he reminded himself dryly) Happiness that his family had accepted his house. Annoyance about his father's suggestions about his friends. Unsure of what to do next, Scorpius laid back into his bed and began reading once more.

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The alarm clock went off and Mei smacked it hard with her hand. Giving a long, drawn out yawn, she sat up in her bed. Unlike certain members of her family, Mei didn't like mornings at all. Especially after a sleepless night like the one she just had.

"Are you planning to sit there looking messy all day, or are you planning to actually get up?" someone asked her dryly and for a moment Mei didn't comprehend what was being said to her. Then it sunk in and she glared at the offending individual.

"Some of us," she began, putting an emphasis on the word us, "didn't get much sleep last night."

"Generally I find that comes if I close my eyes and lay down. Generally that works," the voice replied sardonically and Mei looked at the owner of the voice properly and her eyes began to focus. The girl had short red hair with a narrow face and a smattering of freckles "So, where you worrying about your boyfriend Albus Potter? I don't think the Snakes would give him any grief."

"He's just a friend!" Mei retorted sharply and the other girl laughed. It wasn't a pleasant laugh. It set Mei's teeth on edge. There was something about the girl that made her hackles rise.

"Well he'd better be," the girl said with a smirk that would have looked more at home on a Slytherin than a Hufflepuff. "It doesn't matter anyway. Everyone knows that Potters always marry redheads."

"Oh?" Mei frowned with annoyance. The girl was being somewhat presumptuous about her friend.

"Yeah. More accurately, it's going to be me," the girl finished with a smirk and Mei frowned even harder.

"Isn't that supposed to be up to him?" Mei asked and the other girl simply smiled at her.

"That's what he's supposed to think," the other girl said with a smirk. "Of course, you can be his first crush," the girl continued. "You can hardly expect him to just be with one girl all the way through Hogwarts, that would be silly."

Mei looked at the girl with a puzzled expression. Why would she be the subject of anyone's crush? The very idea of kissing a boy romantically was always something that happened in the distant future, an abstract idea that had no meaning. The girl laughed.

"Hah! Fooled you! You didn't think I was serious, did you?" the girl said chuckling, before sauntering off, leaving Mei behind.

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BANG! BANG! BANG!

Draco groaned as he looked out the window. He could see his father standing outside and although he couldn't see his face, the sheer force of which Lucius Malfoy was hitting the door suggested that he was angry. Swallowing hard, he walked down the stairs and opened the door.

"Hello father," he said and he noticed that a copy of the Daily Prophet was in his father's hand.

"Have you seen the headline on the Daily Prophet this morning?" he asked with a growl as he stepped inside and Draco raised an eyebrow.

"No I haven't. Why?"

Lucius threw down a copy of the offending newspaper onto the breakfast table with annoyance. On the front page was a photo of Scorpius getting off of the Hogwart's Express with the Weasley girl and the Potter boy. A fourth figure was hidden in the shadows behind them and Draco guessed that this was the half-blood girl Scorpius had mentioned. But it was the headline that really stood out.

_A new Trio for the new generation? _

Draco groaned slightly and shook his head. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Do you have any idea what this does for our reputation? Do you have any idea how this makes me look?" Lucius demanded, but before Draco could answer, Lucius pressed on. "How do you think it makes me look when I tell our shareholders that Malfoy Investment Industry Group is a responsible investment company for wizarding gold and my grandson is seen associating with reckless names such as Weasley and Potter?"

"Well father…"

"And then there is the issue of the girl's family," Lucius continued in a much colder voice. "A Weasley and a Malfoy? It's unheard of! It goes against the natural order!" he paused and sucked in a deep breath. "You must forbid him from further association with the girl."

And now the real reason for his father's visit became clear. He didn't really care that Scorpius was on the front page of the Daily Prophet as a potential risk taker. No, it was the fact that he was associating with a Weasley.

"Father, I have already written to Scorpius about the matter. I am sure there will be no further problems," Draco said firmly. Lucius looked somewhat mollified and decided to change the subject.

"A few years in Slytherin will no doubt straighten out Scorpius's unusual tendencies," he said almost pompously and Draco decided that it was probably not a good idea to mention that Scorpius was in fact in Ravenclaw. There would be time for that discussion later. Preferably sometime after Lucius had calmed down from the fact that Scorpius had actually associated with a Weasley. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Astoria deciding to say something.

"I really don't see what the problem is," she said firmly as she stared down the older Malfoy male. Unlike Draco, she was not intimidated by Lucius Malfoy. She stepped forward and down the last few stairs. "A good Slytherin takes advantage of the situation as it arises after all. Having friends amongst the most influential families in the modern wizarding world is surely a good idea?" Lucius looked at her dumbstruck and Draco gave her a subtle smile as she continued. "Scorpius is behaving like a good Malfoy. It's not like he's going to marry the girl."

"The idea of the Malfoy line marrying a Weasley-" Lucius began, but Astoria finished for him.

"Is errant nonsense," she finished. "Your grandson is simply acting like a good Slytherin."

"Well yes, I suppose there is an argument in that," Lucius conceded and Astoria smiled. "However, do you expect a friendship between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin to last? The two houses have a long history of despising one another that dates back to the founders. The inevitable break up of years of friendship would make his life harder, not easier."

""Fortunately Scorpius has already written to us and told us the results of his sorting. He is in fact a Ravenclaw. The Potter boy is in Slytherin," she replied with a smirk, before turning Lucius around and ushering him out. "Now I'm sure you have more important thing to be doing. Draco and I have to be going to work soon, so sadly we don't have time to stop and chat. Another time perhaps? Excellent, we'll sort it out later."

With remarkable speed, she quickly bustled him out of the house before he could say anything and quickly shut the door behind him. Draco smiled at her.

"How do you manage to get away with that?" he asked her for the thousanth time since they had married and Astoria smirked at him.

"A good Slytherin never tells," she replied dryly and she looked him in the eye. "And I was right, we have work to go to.

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Hermione was already at work when the owl carrying the Daily Prophet arrived on Ron Weasley's breakfast table. Ron absent-mindedly paid the bird and continued eating. There were some things that were more important than reading a tabloid rag like the Daily Prophet. Eating breakfast was one of them.

As he slowly sipped his tea, he finally looked at the front page and practically spat his tea out in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Staring out at him from the front page, was a photograph of his daughter and his nephew Albus getting off of the Hogwart's Express. And with them was a face he certainly never expected to see in her company. He didn't need to read the headline to recognise the features of the other boy. The other boy shared his father's features far too well for it not to be obvious whom he was descended from.

_A new Trio for the new generation? _

The headline glared out at him and Ron frowned. His Rosie-kins and a MALFOY!? He was fine with them not being sworn enemies. (Or rather, he was fine with it after his wife had pointed out to him that they HAD fought a war to allow people to not be judged on the basis of their blood and it applied both ways.) Still, he had his limits. Staring harder at the photo, he frowned even harder. Albus was also there, talking as though Scorpius was a perfectly nice boy and not the spawn of the youngest Death Eater ever. It seemed that Draco's son was obviously better at charming people than his father ever was. Albus was always able to tell when someone was trying to put one over him at least most of the time.

Grabbing the floo powder that sat on the fireplace shelf, he threw some in and shouted "Number twelve Grimmauld place!" and stuck his head into the green flames.

"Good morning Ron," Harry said as he leaned nonchantly in his chair. "What's the emergency?"

"Have you seen today's paper?" Ron asked quickly and Harry nodded.

"Yes of course I have," he replied with a slight hint of annoyance. "How they managed to get that photo is worrying."

"Did you see who your son and my daughter were getting off the train with?" Ron asked quickly and Harry nodded.

"Of course I did Ron. But the Daily Prophet is wrong. I already received a letter from Albus last night about that." Ron almost let out a sigh of relief before Harry continued. "It's not a trio at all. It's a quartet, although you can't see the fourth member in the photo." Harry paused for a moment and frowned. "A pity. I would have liked to have seen the face of his friend Mei Lin."

"But…but…" Ron stuttered and Harry laughed. Ron's face reminded him strongly of Ginny's face when she heard the news.

"Come on Ron, you and I should know that people aren't always the same as their parents. Just look at Sirius and Andromeda. Nobody would have classed them as anything other than pureblood snobs with their family background," Harry pointed out and Ron nodded, before frowning.

"But Harry, this is the Malfoy's we're talking about though. The largest of the-"

"The old pureblood guard," Harry finished for him. "Yes, Ginny said something similar when we got Albus's letter. I trust Albus's judgement. I doubt that an eleven year old could put one over Albus and Rose after all."

"I suppose…" Ron said doubtfully and Harry shrugged.

"Besides, can you imagine what Rose's reaction would be like if you tried telling her to not be friends with Scorpius?" Harry continued. "Albus would simply keep it hidden and Rose would argue. A lot. And then there's Hermione."

Ron winced. He knew just as well as Harry that Hermione would have no problem with Rose's friends. And when Rose and Hermione argued on the same side, they represented a force scarier than anything Voldemort had ever fielded.

"Well I suppose…" he said, before looking firmly at Harry. "But he'd better not lead her into trouble!" he warned and Harry chuckled.

"I think Rose can do that on her own, don't you?" he replied and Ron winced again as he remembered his daughter's absence of any sort of self-preservation instincts. She had a history of trying to befriend or adopt the most dangerous of creatures. No wonder she got on so well with Hagrid. Harry pressed on.

"And hopefully he will keep her away from anything too dangerous," he finished and Ron raised an eyebrow. He wasn't so sure. Her parents couldn't calm her dangerous instincts, but then again, perhaps Harry was right. With a sigh, he pulled his head out of the fireplace and sat down. Unrolling a piece of parchment, he began to write Rose a letter.


End file.
